My Will
by Boys On Boysenberry-hime
Summary: Ryou wakes up in the woods, with his millennium ring missing and his yami nowhere to be seen. And the only one that can help him get home, isn't willing to. (Ryou/Bakura romance) (FINISHED!) (R/R)
1. The Woods

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.  
  
  
In this fic, normal Bakura will be called Ryou, and Yami Bakura will be just Bakura. ^_^  
  
  
'Where am I?'  
  
Ryou slowly opened his eyes, finding himself staring up at the tops of trees. He was lying on his back, in what appeared to be a forest, but that made no sense to him. He had been in his home just a few minutes ago, so how did he get here?  
  
He sat, looking around. Sure enough, he was in a forest, but he had never seen it before. And where was Bakura? He had been with Ryou the last time he remembered, so where was he now?  
  
Ryou tried to reach his yami through their mental link, but he couldn't detect him. He was slightly disturbed by this, and even more disturbed by the realization that his millennium ring was gone. He began to search the ground franticly, wondering where it could have gone.  
  
'What's going on?' he thought. He should have been used to weird stuff by now, but he wasn't ready for this. I mean, one minute he's in his home and the next he's in some unknown forest? Without his yami? He suddenly felt very alone. He had grown very used to Bakura's presence, and now that he was gone, he felt very small and venerable.  
  
Even though in the beginning he had been willing to die to get away from Bakura, things had changed significantly in the past weeks. Bakura had finally gotten nicer and admitted his feelings for Ryou, which made both of their lives a little easier. Still, Bakura was far from perfect. And that's the only way Ryou wanted him. He couldn't imagine his yami being any nicer.  
  
He got to his feet, deciding to walk until he found someone or something that could help him. He was reluctant to leave the area, since he still hadn't found his millennium ring, but knew that staying would do him no good. So, he spun around a few times, and headed off in a random direction, hoping it would led him somewhere.  
  
The entire forest looked the same, and several times Ryou wondered if he was even moving. Every tree looked the same as the ones before. Even the markings on the tress, made by some kind of animal, looked all the same. Ryou was starting to get worried, wondering if he was just walking in circles. He began to walk a little faster, hoping to reach a river or stream of some sort.  
  
"Child! Are you crazy? Wandering the woods all alone, when Soy is roaming about."  
  
Ryou stopped in his tracks. He was sure he had heard a voice but from where? He looked around, only spotting trees and the random animal.  
  
"Come back to the village child, before Soy find you."  
  
This time the voice was right behind him. He turned quickly, finding himself face to face with an older woman with long, graying hair. The woman smiled, a warm smile.  
  
"Come now."  
  
  
  
* * *   
  
  
Ryou looked around nervously. The woman from the woods had led him into a small village, before disappearing, saying she was going to the get the priestess. Ryou felt odd standing in the village all alone. There were several people around, all doing chores or working. A few small children were playing, but not many.  
  
Several villagers gave him odd looks as they passed, which made Ryou feel even stranger. They were all whispering to each other about his resemblance to someone named Soy. He remembered the name from when the woman had mentioned it in the woods. He really wished Bakura was with him now. He had a strange feeling about this place.  
  
It didn't seem right. Everything looked too old fashioned, and it still didn't explain why he was in the woods to begin with.  
  
He brushed a stray strand of silver hair out of his face, and looked around, hoping to spot a friendly face. But everyone just turned away, as if afraid.  
  
Ryou was startled out his thoughts when the woman he met earlier returned. With her, was a shorter, older woman. Ryou gave a slight smile, hoping to ease tension, as the older woman dismissed the woman from the woods.  
  
"Tell me, child. Who are you, and what do you want from us?" the woman said, looking Ryou straight in the eyes.  
  
Ryou blinked his chocolate brown eyes. "My name is Ryou."  
  
"Then tell me Ryou, why have you come?"  
  
Ryou shook his head. That's what he wanted to know too. "I don't know."  
  
The woman frowned. "I was told you were found wandering in the woods."  
  
"I was looking for a way home. I just woke up in the woods. I don't know where I am." Ryou answered truthfully, shifting uncomfortably.  
  
"So you are lost?"  
  
Ryou nodded.  
  
The woman started to turn away. "Very well. You may stay here." She started to walk away, but stopped. "Be so good as to follow me child."  
  
Ryou hesitated, not sure he wanted to follow the woman or not. He toyed with his silver hair for a moment, before taking a deep breath and deciding to follow.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"I am Keiko, the village priestess." The woman said, poking at a small fire.  
  
She had led Ryou back to her house, and had started a fire while Ryou sat down and made himself as comfortable as possible. The house had no furniture, and only a bare wood floor with a small pit for a fire.  
  
"I do apologize if we have scared you by bringing you here, but it is not safe to be wandering in the woods alone. Especially is no one knows you are there."  
  
"It's alright." Ryou said, he was starting to get a little more at ease, but only slightly. "But how do I get home?"  
  
Keiko stopped poking the fire and looked at him. "From the look of you, you are from the living world. Am I correct?"  
  
Ryou nodded. Of course he was alive.  
  
"I thought as much. We often get people from the living world showing up in our woods." She picked up the poker and began to tease the fire once again. "We are in the middle world, a place halfway between the living world and the world of the demons. Many people fall through gates into our world. But sadly, very few ever leave the woods alive."  
  
Ryou felt a bad feeling come over him. "But how do I get home?"  
  
"It can be done child. But it will be awhile before we can send you back."  
  
Ryou touched his neck, saddened by the lack of the millennium ring. He couldn't leave until he found it. But he had no idea where to look. What if it had been left behind in the living world? And how did he get here anyway?  
  
"I have lost something very important to me. I have to find it before I leave." He said, a tiny bit of hope inside that perhaps she had seen his millennium ring.  
  
"Is that so?" Keiko turned back to him.   
  
Ryou nodded. "Yes. A necklace."  
  
Keiko nodded. "I believe I can help you." She laid her poker down once again. "I will ask Soy. If anyone had seen it, Soy will know where it is. But for now, rest."  
  
Ryou looked away. He didn't want to rest. Not when he was lost and his yami was missing. How could he rest? How could anyone rest in a situation like this?  
  
After everything he had been through in his life, he never felt more alone than he did now.  
  
  
  
  
So what do you think? This is just the prologue, so the next parts will be longer and more detailed. That is, if you guys think I should continue. So please leave a review, just a few words to help know if I should continue or not. ^_^ 


	2. Fox on a Leash

Standard disclaimers apply. Nothing has changed since yesterday^_^  
  
  
  
"Now watch closely child. This isn't the best way to get Soy back here, but it's the fastest."  
  
Ryou watched carefully, and a little fearfully. Keiko has escorted him out of her home, to where they now stood outside the house. Keiko told him she was going to get Soy to help him find his millennium ring, and insisted they had to be outside.  
  
Keiko reached up and pulled a strand of her long hair out. She held it by one end, and then cast it out almost like a fishing line. Ryou watched curiously, wondering what this had to do with calling this Soy person. Keiko gave a small tug on the hair after a few seconds, and once again waited.  
  
Ryou's eyes widened as he saw several trees in the forest start to fall, as if plowed down. The line of falling trees came closer, until he began to notice the houses nearest the woods doing the same thing.  
  
Keiko gave the hair a final tug, and something was dragged through the house nearest to them, and landed at their feet.  
  
Ryou looked down at the ground in amazement. Face down on the ground was a small figure, with long silver hair, wearing a black kimono, with pants at the bottom. What really caught his attention though, were the two silver, fox like ears on top of the figures head. And the fox like tail.  
  
The figure stayed on the ground for several seconds, before jumping up quickly. With its face off the ground, Ryou could see it was a girl, with vibrant green eyes. Green eyes that looked, well, furious.  
  
"What the hell was that for?!" the girl raged at Keiko, causing nearby villagers to take a few steps back. The girl glared at them, and the moved further away.  
  
Keiko shook her head. "I'm sorry Soy. But we are in need of your assistance."  
  
Ryou blinked in amazement. This was Soy? The one all the villagers had been talking about? But she didn't look dangerous at all. In fact, she was rather short. And had a face that every guy probably thought was pretty. Ryou might have found her pretty too, if his heart hadn't been with someone else.  
  
"Then you could have sent someone out to get me." Soy growled. "You didn't have to drag me all the way here."  
  
Keiko shook her head and put a hand on Ryou's shoulder. "Soy, this is Ryou. He needs your help to find something he has lost."  
  
"Hn." Soy turned her back on them, sitting on the ground, and crossed her arms into her sleeves. "Well you can forget about it. I don't need to do anything for you."  
  
Ryou felt his heart sink. If she didn't help, how was he going to find his millennium ring, and Bakura? The woods were too big for him to look through alone, and if someone had stolen it from him…he would never find it.  
  
"Don't be so cross Soy." Keiko said, stilling trying to persuade Soy to help Ryou.  
  
Soy turned her head back. "You have legs, you help him."  
  
"Soy, you know full well I am too old for that."  
  
To Ryou's dismay, Soy didn't respond. It didn't seem like she was going to be willing to help him anytime soon. And he needed to find his millennium ring soon. He couldn't stay here forever. Sooner or later someone would realize that he was missing.  
  
Keiko gave him a sympathetic look, and then turned her attention back to Soy. "Well, since I dragged you all the way here, would you at least like to join us for dinner?"  
  
There was a moment of silence. Ryou didn't understand why Keiko was inviting Soy to dinner, but he didn't question her. Soy hesitated.  
  
"Fine." She said finally. "But don't try anything tricky."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"Getting home will not be a very simple task Ryou."  
  
Ryou looked up from his bowl of noodles. They had gone back to Keiko's house, where the three shared a meal of noodles and meat. Soy seemed happy enough with the meal, even if she did kept glaring at Ryou.  
  
Keiko set her bowl on the ground. "To get home you must create a ritual fire. But to do that, you must gather the gateway stones. Which unfortunately, are scattered about the world."  
  
Ryou felt sadness come over him. He was stuck in a strange world, all alone except for an old woman and a fox-girl that kept growling at him. And he still didn't know where his yami was. The situation was starting to look hopeless, and he wondered if he would ever get home.  
  
Soy laughed softly. "I hope you can get home. You don't belong here."  
  
Ryou hung his head as Keiko glared at Soy. "Your anger blinds you, Soy."  
  
Soy narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
Keiko ignored her. "You can get the stones, but it will be dangerous and a long journey."  
  
"If it means I can get home, I'm sure I can handle it." Ryou said, and he meant it. Anything to get home, and find his yami.  
  
Keiko nodded and began to poke at the fire. "Which brings us to a more urgent business. Your missing necklace." She put the fire poker down and looked at Soy, who was lying down on the ground, eyes closed. "I would like you to tell us about it Ryou, so Soy can help you look."  
  
Soy sat up. "Hey old woman, I said I wasn't going to help!"  
  
Keiko gave her a scolding look. "Stop howling Soy."  
  
Ryou began to think about his Millennium ring. He knew exactly what it looked like, but he was having trouble putting the image into words. He finally came up with something, and began to tell. Keiko was listening closely, but Soy couldn't seem to care less.  
  
As he described it, Ryou began to feel a deep longing. He had never been without Bakura for such along time. It had only been a day or so, but it felt like much longer. It felt like an eternity, and like half of his soul was missing. He almost wanted to cry at the thought that he would be stuck here for the rest of his life.  
  
"Does it talk?"  
  
Soy's voice jolted Ryou out of his train of thought. "Pardon?"  
  
"I said, does it talk?" Soy repeated, looking at him like he was a moron.  
  
Ryou was confused for a second. The ring didn't talk, but…Bakura! Soy might have heard Bakura calling out from the ring. But how? Only he was able to hear it. Unless Soy was mistaken somehow.  
  
Soy apparently got annoyed waiting for Ryou to answer, so she grabbed a stick from the fire and began to draw a picture in the dirt floor. When she was finished, she pointed. "Does it look like that?"  
  
Ryou looked over at her picture. To his surprise, it was startlingly accurate. "Yes! That's it!"  
  
Keiko nodded. "Very well then Soy. You will take Ryou to its location tomorrow."  
  
Soy blinked at her. "Could you repeat that? I must not have heard you right."  
  
"With those big ears of yours, I know you heard me just fine."  
  
"I'm not helping!"  
  
Ryou felt the small hope that had crept into him crushed. He should have known that it was too good to be true. Why should he have even thought that Soy would want to help him?  
  
"You will help him, Soy." Keiko said firmly.  
  
Soy shook her head. "No."  
  
Ryou hung his head, feeling despair creep over him.  
  
  
  
  
Well there's the next part. I hope you enjoyed. ^_^ Please review so I know whether or not to keep going. And thank you to everyone who reviewed for the first chapter! You guys are the best! 


	3. Tryouts

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I do own Soy. So unless you want her, no sue.  
  
  
  
  
WHAM!  
  
That had to be about the 5th time Ryou heard that familiar sound. The sound of Soy being dragged back into the house when she tried to leave. Keiko had been arguing with her for the good part of an hour, and Soy still wasn't willing to help. She tried to leave several times, but Keiko did the thing with the hair again, and Soy was dragged back.  
  
Ryou could see how Keiko did it now that he was up close. The hair she pulled from her head would wrap around a collar that Soy wore, acting as a leash. Soy wasn't very happy about this, but Ryou guessed that she didn't have a choice.  
  
He wondered why he hadn't noticed the collar before. There were a few things he could see now that he hadn't noticed before. Soy had two black stripes on either side of her face, and she didn't just have one tail, but two, with black stripes at the end.  
  
He hung his head, ashamed that he was causing so much trouble. "I'm sorry…"  
  
Keiko looked at him and smiled. "Don't be sorry, child. Soy needs to learn some good old fashioned human decency anyway."  
  
"Human decency?!" Soy raged. "Don't even compare me to those-"  
  
WHAM!  
  
"How would Takna feel if he heard you talking like that?"  
  
Ryou suppressed a giggle. It really was funny watching Soy being dragged around. But who was Takna? From the way Soy was acting at the mention of the name, she didn't like him much. Soy was absolutely furious now, screaming at Keiko to never mention that name again.  
  
"Enough Soy. Are you going to help Ryou, or are we going to have to keep fighting?" Keiko asked.  
  
Soy growled something unintelligible, and rubbed her head. "Fine! I'll help the little freak find his necklace! But than that's it! Leave me alone!"  
  
Soy growled again stormed out of the house. Keiko let her go this time.   
  
Ryou felt relief surge through him. At least she was going to help. But he had a feeling she wasn't going to be very good company. Oh well. At least he would have Bakura back soon.  
  
  
  
* * *   
  
  
  
Ryou sighed, feeling the bright sun on his face. Keiko told him that he and Soy wouldn't leave to go look for the millennium ring until the next morning. So while he waited, he decided to take a walk around. It was a very small village, and everyone there seemed extremely uptight. Nervous really. Ryou could hear them whispering about Soy.  
  
He shook his head. He didn't understand why they were so afraid of her. How could she be so mean that she cause them to fear for their lives?  
  
"Hey…what's your face."  
  
Ryou was standing on the path behind him. He blinked and pointed at himself to make sure she was talking to him.  
  
"Yeah." She said, walking up to him. "What was your name again?"  
  
"Ryou."  
  
She nodded. "I've been looking for you."  
  
Ryou was confused. She didn't seem to want anything to do with him before. why was she suddenly looking for him?  
  
"Don't be dumb." She said suddenly. "I wasn't looking for you because I wanted to. We just have some business to take care of."  
  
Ryou frowned. "How did you know what I was thinking?"  
  
Soy got a look on her face like a deer in the headlights. Ryou began to feel suspicious, but the look quickly faded, as if it had never been there in the first place. "I'm just good at guessing."  
  
Ryou didn't know if he should believe her or not, but he let it go. "What did you need to see me for?"  
  
"It's going to be dangerous getting your necklace back. So Keiko said I should get you a weapon of some kind." She paused, looking thoughtful. "Unless you can use magic or something."  
  
Ryou shook his head and Soy sighed. "Just my luck. Fine. Try this."  
  
She started to toss an axe at him, but thought better of it, handing it to him instead. Ryou took it and looked it over, while Soy led him to a nearby tree.  
  
"Al right. Now I want you to chop at the tree with the axe." She said, pointing at the tree. "Just once."  
  
Ryou nodded and shifted the axe in his hands to get a better grip. He glanced at Soy, who nodded her approve, and he swung. The axe flew throw the air and made contact with the trunk. The sharp blade made a deep gash in the side.  
  
"Ok." Soy said, as Ryou pulled the axe out. "Now hit the same spot again."  
  
Ryou nodded and swung the axe again. The blade made contact almost a foot away from the original mark. There was a second of silence before Soy spoke up.  
  
"Try again."  
  
Ryou nodded again and pulled the axe out. it was harder to get out this time, and he had to put more effort into it. but as he pulled it out, the axe slipped from his grasp and flew through the air behind him. Both watched as the axe landed somewhere in the village.  
  
Soy sweatdropped as Ryou began to blush furiously.  
  
"Umm…let's try something else." She reached behind her and pulled out a katana. "Try this."  
  
Ryou reached out to take the katana, but as soon as it was in his hands, he realized he would never be able to use it. It was way too heavy.  
  
"Alright. Do the same thing you did with the axe." Soy instructed, but Ryou shook his head.  
  
"I don't think I can." He said, once again blushing.  
  
Soy stared at him for a moment, before, "Why not?!"  
  
"It's too heavy."  
  
Soy growled and snatched the katana out of his hands. She once again reached behind and pulled out a long whip. She threw it at him, not really caring if he got hurt.  
  
Ryou picked it up and examined it.  
  
"You know the drill." Soy said, crossing her arms.  
  
Ryou adjusted the whip and tried to hit the tree, but when he tried to pull the whip forward, he found there was resistance on the other end. He couldn't pull it forward, it seemed to be stuck on something. Confused, he turned around to look.  
  
He began to blush again as he realized the whip had wrapped around Soy's neck. She gave a furious look as she tried to unwrap the whip and prevent it from choking her. Ryou quickly dropped the whip and ran over to help her unwind the whip.  
  
She sat down on the ground as she was released from the whip. Gasping for air, she grabbed the whip and threw it. Ryou began to apologize, but Soy cut him off.  
  
"Forget the whip!" she growled. She reached next to her on the ground and picked something else up. She handed it to him. "Screw it. Just use this."  
  
Ryou looked the new weapon over. a bow and arrow. Hoping to prove himself to Soy, he prepared an arrow, and tried to shoot it. The arrow went about two feet, before falling to the ground.  
  
Soy watched the arrow, dropping back to the ground on her back. She shut her eyes, not looking forward to teaming up with him.  
  
  
  
Here you go! I hope enjoyed! Please leave a review and tell if I should keep going! And thanks for all the reviews so far! * Gives her reviewers animal crackers * You're all great! ^_^  
  
Oh, and if anyone wants to be on my update list, please email me at SilverFoxYouki@hotmail.com ^_~ 


	4. A Gift of Life

* Eating animal crackers with frosting * Yup, you guys were right. This fic was inspired by Inuyasha. ^_^ Why? Because I love Inuyasha. * Hugs her Inuyasha plushie * Hope no one minds that. ^_^ And if you haven't seen Inuyasha, check it out. Cartoon network, 11:00pm on Saturdays. It's awesome. ^_^  
  
  
  
Ryou sighed as he folded his clothes, trying to keep them from getting wrinkled. He had washed them in the river that afternoon, or more accurately, Soy had washed them. He had been taking a bath in the water, when Soy snuck up, stole his clothes, and took them about a mile down river to wash them.  
  
When he got out of the water, he had been shocked to find his clothing gone. Almost panicky in fact, but Soy had tossed him some new clothes. A mint green shirt and large black pants. Naturally Ryou had been incredibly embarrassed by Soy's presence, by Soy had just snorted and told him she wasn't a hentai, and that if he was smart he would realize her eyes were closed. And indeed, they were. Shut so tight that it was almost insulting.  
  
She told him to get dressed and tell her when he was decent, so Ryou quickly put on the pants and told her that he was still bare chested (AN: * drools *) but that she could open her eyes. She kept them closed though, and told him that he had to be back in Keiko's house by nightfall, on Keiko's orders. Then she added that it didn't matter to her if he was there or not, if he got killed it would just make her life easier.  
  
Ryou sighed again. It was dark out now, and he had returned to Keiko's house as he was told. Keiko had to stay over the house of one of the villagers to tend to a sick child, so she left Soy in charge of taking care of Ryou. Soy wasn't too happy about it, but she dealt with it.  
  
Ryou sat down and looked at the cards he had pulled from the pocket of his pants. He had almost forgotten that he had them with him. He took them out of his pants pocket and began to look through them. They were a sad reminder of his home, and how much he missed it. But worse, they reminded him of Bakura.  
  
He began to get the feeling he was being watched, so he turned his head. Sure enough, Soy was peering over his shoulder, her bright green eyes full of curiosity.   
  
"What are those?" she asked.  
  
"It's a game, called duel monsters. It's very popular where I live." He answered, think that Soy would think the whole thing was dumb. But instead, she sat next to him and picked up a card.  
  
"Are these real creatures where you live?" she asked, examining the card closely.  
  
Ryou shook his head. "No, but sometimes, I imagine that they are." He looked down at the change of heart card in his hand. "It may sound silly but…" he shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed.  
  
Soy looked thoughtful, turning the card over in her hands. "So…you wish they were real?"  
  
Ryou nodded, and continued looking at his cards. Soy seemed to think for a second, before standing and leaving the house. Ryou saw her leave, and got up to follow, she still had one of his cards.  
  
"Soy…where are you going?" he asked, following behind her.  
  
"Come on." She answered, and led him to a large open field outside of the village.   
  
She stopped in the center of the field and Ryou caught up to her. "Soy, we weren't supposed to leave the house."  
  
"Stop whining." She held the card up. "What card is this?"  
  
"The blue winged crown."  
  
Soy nodded and folded her hands into a triangle shape. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and as Ryou watched in amazement, the card began to glow. The glowing got brighter, until it erupted in a flash of light that temporarily blinded Ryou.  
  
When his eyes adjusted to the darkness once again, his mouth fell open in shock at what stood before him.  
  
A blue winged crown.  
  
A real one.  
  
"Soy…how did you do that? You brought it to life!" he said, astonished by the sight. The bird was huge, and was acting like any normal bird, preening its feathers.  
  
"Well no duh." Soy answered, crossing her arms and looking quite satisfied with herself. "I can bring anything to life."  
  
Ryou looked at her, forcing himself to tear his ears away from the bird. "Anything?"  
  
Soy nodded. "See that bush near you? There's a nest in there. Hand me one of the eggs."  
  
Ryou went over to the bush and reached inside. Sure enough, after a few seconds of searching, he found a nest. He pulled out an egg and handed it to Soy, just like she'd asked. Soy took the egg and held it between her hands. She closed her hands around it, and winked at Ryou.  
  
"Watch." She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and then opened her hands. From where there had once been a single egg, thousands of small, white birds fly from her hands. The small birds took flight, heading off into the air and showering them with white feathers.  
  
"Ohh..," Ryou said, completely amazed by the display. Sot smiled at his reaction, and closed her fist around one of the feathers, transforming it into another small bird.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Ryou blinked his eyes against the bright sunlight and yawned. Everything considered, he had had a pretty good nights sleep.  
  
That is, after Soy had made the blue winged crown vanish back into the card and led him home. He was still excited about the amazing sight he had witnessed, but Soy told him to shut up and sleep if he wanted to go look for his millennium ring the next morning.  
  
Ryou quickly got dressed and headed outside. Soy wasn't in the house, so he assumed that she was taking care of business elsewhere. Keiko was standing outside the door when he went outside, talking to a group of very excited villagers.  
  
"What's going on?" he asked, and Keiko smiled at him.  
  
"A flock of birds has taken residence in our western fields. There are many and they are easy to catch, so we need not worry about food for the winter this year." She said happily.  
  
"It is truly a miracle!" one of the villagers added excitedly.   
  
"Oh. Soy made those birds last night." Ryou said. "You should thank her."  
  
The villagers looked at him strangely. "What do you mean 'made', child?" Keiko asked.  
  
Ryou looked at the confused faces. "She took an egg from a nest and turned it into all of those birds."  
  
Keiko shook her head. "She couldn't have. She doesn't have that power."  
  
"But I saw her do it!" Ryou protested. He was positive that Soy had created those birds.  
  
"You must have been dreaming. Now go get ready to leave child. Soy will not like to wait."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Ryou stood at the edge of one of the fields, trying to get ready to leave. He didn't need to pack anything, Soy would take care of it all, but he needed to practice with the bow and arrow. He still wasn't any good at it, but he was trying.  
  
He shot another failed arrow, and looked back at the village, where the residents were still celebrating over what they thought was a miracle of birds.  
  
"I give them a gift of birds, and they eat them."  
  
Ryou turned around, Soy had materialized at his side, she had snuck up without him realizing it. She shook her head. "Damn simpletons."  
  
Soy now sported a black bandana around her forehead, trying to keep some of her wild hair out of her eyes. Her black stripes were in sharp contrast to her pale skin and hair. She also had a katana at her side, and a curved scythe blade on a long, long chain that was attached to her wrist.  
  
Ryou looked at the new weapons. "Is all that really necessary?" he asked. If it was, he was starting to get a little nervous.  
  
Soy nodded. "You never know. And besides, you aren't going to be much help with those arrows."  
  
Ryou looked down at the bow in his hands. "I am trying."  
  
"Whatever." Soy replied. "Now do you want to say goodbye to Keiko before we leave, or can we just go?"  
  
"I want to say goodbye."  
  
  
  
  
There you have it. ^_^ Hope you liked. Pretty please tell me what you think. And oh yeah, Bakura should be showing up in the next chapter. * Yay! * And thank you for all the reviews. * Gives her reviewers animal crackers with frosting this time *  
  
BTW, my other email isn't working, so if you want to be notified when I update, email me at FleasUnlimited@dangerous-minds.com 


	5. Chasing the Sunset

"Take care of Ryou, Soy."  
  
"Right, right. There won't be a scratch on him." Soy mumbled as she led Ryou out the village.   
  
"And don't do anything dumb!" Keiko continued.  
  
Soy mumbled something under her breath and turned to Ryou. "Please tell me you can fly or run really fast."  
  
Ryou shook his head and shift his bow and arrows. "I can't."  
  
"Great. So I guess we walk." Soy said, as they reached the edge of the woods.  
  
Ryou blinked at her. "Can't you create some more birds?"  
  
"How will that help us?!"  
  
"Well if you make them big enough, maybe we can fly on their backs."  
  
Soy blinked. "Oh. Well I can't. Too risky that someone will see. And that could cause problems."  
  
"What problems could it cause?" Ryou asked. He didn't see how it was any different now than it was last night.  
  
"It's not important." Soy said. She stopped walking. "But you gave me an idea." She leaned over. "Get on."  
  
"What?" Ryou asked. He didn't quite understand.  
  
"Climb on my back stupid!"   
  
"Oh." Ryou slowly climbed on. "Are you sure I'm not going to hurt you? And how is this going to,"  
  
Ryou was cut off as soon as Soy started running. As soon as she did, Ryou could see why she wanted to carry him. She was much faster than they could ever be with they were walking, and she could travel by jumping into the trees and leaping from branch to branch.  
  
Slightly frightened by the high speed and the times when Soy would jump for long distances, Ryou found himself unconsciously holding on to Soy's hair. Something she didn't like at all.  
  
"OW!" she growled, and turned her head around. "Do you mind?!"  
  
Ryou's eyes opened wide. "Soy…"  
  
BAM!  
  
Soy's distraction had caused her to run head first into a small tree. She stumbled back, and Ryou jumped off of her. He took a few steps back in case she fell, but she managed to stay on her feet. She held her head in her hands.   
  
"Ow…that hurt more than you pulling my hair." She whined.   
  
"I'm sorry." Ryou said. "Are you alright?  
  
"Just a mild concussion." She said. "I'll survive."  
  
She looked around and sniffed the air. "We should walk the rest of the way anyway. It shouldn't be too far."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"Please tell me you can swim."  
  
Ryou looked at her. "Well sort of. I mean, not very well."  
  
Soy groaned. They were standing on the banks of a wide river, the water was rushing past over rock and fallen tree branches, but the water was too deep for them to walk through. And unfortunately, they had to get across.   
  
"I'm guessing you can't swim through this?" Soy asked.  
  
Ryou looked down at the deep water. He had taken a bath in a stream before, but that had been much different. The water was nearly as deep or fast moving. He seriously doubted that he could swim across. "I don't think so."  
  
Soy sighed. "Alright. Lets check down river a bit. Maybe it gets a little better."  
  
She led the way and Ryou followed. He felt a little bad for causing her so much trouble, but he had to get Bakura back. And Soy was the only one who knew where the millennium ring was.  
  
"Lookie there." Sot pointed. "Think you can cross on that?"  
  
Ryou looked to where she was pointing. A tree had fallen across the river, making a sort of bridge to the other side. Soy jumped up onto it and bounced a few times. The tree held fast, only a few inches above the water.  
  
"It'll hold your weight." She said. "Come on Ryou."  
  
Ryou cautiously climbed onto the log. It wasn't very wide, but he could still cross. Soy had already reached the opposite side, and was waiting for him to follow. Slowly, he began to make his way across. He tried not to look down at the water rushing below him.  
  
He had almost reached the opposite side, when he lost his footing on the wet log. He tried desperately to grab onto something, but it didn't work. His body hit the cold water, and immediately, he was pulled downstream.  
  
Soy gasped, seeing Ryou fall. "Ryou!"  
  
Ryou tried to swim to shore, but the current was too rough, and his head kept getting pulled under the water. After a few seconds, he gave up trying to get to shore, and focused on keeping his head above the water. Several times he slipped on the water, and got a mouth full of cold water. He tried to spit it out and gasp for air, but it was getting harder and harder to breathe.  
  
Soy ran along the bank, trying to keep Ryou in sight. She knew she had to get him out somehow, but if she jumped in, the current would make it almost impossible to reach him. She just kept her eyes on him, hoping an opportunity would present itself.  
  
She jumped into a nearby tree, hoping to spot something up ahead that would help, but instead, her mouth went dry from what she saw.  
  
She jumped back to the ground. "Shit. A waterfall." She started running again. "Ryou! Swim to the shore!"  
  
Ryou heard her, but he couldn't answer, and he still couldn't swim. His head slipped under the water once again, and this time he found it harder to get back to the surface. His lungs felt like they were going to explode.  
  
Soy saw him slip under the water once again and cursed under her breath. Knowing she had no other choice she jumped into the water and began swimming furiously toward him. But being in the water left her at a disadvantage, and she couldn't see him anymore.  
  
Taking a deep breath, she dove under the water. She began to search around for him, but it was hard for her to see. She surfaced again, and finally spotted him. He wasn't struggling as hard as he was before.  
  
Ryou slowly opened his eyes. He was exhausted. He wasn't sure he could even fight the current anymore. His eyes slowly focused in front of him. He could see the water disappearing, which only could mean there was a waterfall, but he didn't care anymore.  
  
Soy knew the waterfall was coming up soon, and she wouldn't reach him in time. She sighed, and made her way toward the shore.  
  
Ryou felt himself being pulled toward the steep drop. He was scared; terrified even, but there was nothing he could do. Nothing but accept his fate.  
  
  
  
All right, I know I said Bakura would be in this chapter, but I was hit with this idea and I just had to do it. Gomennasai. ^_^ I SWEAR he will be in the next chapter. Please review! 


	6. Digging up the past

Ryou closed his eyes. He didn't want to see the approaching waterfall. There was no use making himself more scared before he died. He felt a sharp pain in his back, and sadly realized that it was the last thing he would ever feel.  
  
He felt the water drop off from beneath him, but to his shock, he didn't fall. He could feel the water dragging at him, but he wasn't moving anymore. Slowly, he opened his eyes. At first, he couldn't see anything but the rushing water.  
  
Soy tugged at the chain attached to her wrist. Sure, it wasn't a great idea to use her scythe blade to pull him in, but it was better than letting him go over the edge. She yanked the chain again, and he slowly moved toward the shore.  
  
"Gee, this is worse than fishing." She mumbled, pulling him in. Soy had to be careful not to get Ryou caught on anything in the water. Otherwise, she might get pulled in too.  
  
Soy dragged Ryou up onto the banks of the river and dragged him out. She dropped him down on the grass and peered at his face, trying to see if he was alive. His eyes were closed, but that didn't mean he was dead.   
  
She sniffed at him. He didn't smell of death, so he must be still alive. But he might not be for long. She had to at least see if he was able to wake up. After a moments thought, she took one of her tails and waved it in front of his nose. After a few seconds, his nose began to wrinkle from the tickling.   
  
"I know your alive." She said. "You can't fool me." Soy began to wave her tail a little harder.  
  
A small smile began to creep onto his face. He tried to keep it away, but it was too hard. So he sat up and opened his eyes. He began to cough, and Soy sat back on her haunches.   
  
"You aren't allowed to die, you know." Soy said.  
  
Ryou looked at her. "I'm not planning on it." he coughed a few more times. "You saved me."  
  
Soy looked away. "Yeah, well." She reached over and pulled the blade out of his shoulder. Ryou rubbed the wound as Soy began to wrap the chain up again.  
  
Ryou looked at her. He didn't understand why she acted like the way she did.  
  
Soy stood. "Your fine. Now come on."  
  
Ryou nodded and climbed on her back again. Soy began to run off into the woods again.  
  
"How far away is it?" he asked.  
  
"Not far." Sot answered. "Just relax ok. You're so stressed." She glanced back at him. "So stressed that your hair turned white."  
  
Ryou blinked at her. "I was born with my hair like this."  
  
Soy shook her head. "Right. You probably dyed it."  
  
"No. It's natural."  
  
"I can't be. The only people that have that color hair are-"  
  
Ryou looked at her. "Are what?" he wondered why she didn't continue.  
  
Soy looked up at the treetops. "The only people with hair like that are…freaks." She lied.  
  
Ryou sighed. She was insulting herself as well. Her hair was the exact same color as hers. But he let it go. He didn't feel like getting into a fight right then.  
  
Soy stopped. "Here we are."  
  
Ryou climbed off of her back. They were at the base of a large tree. Soy walked up to the base of the tree. Ryou walked up behind her. He didn't see the millennium ring anywhere.  
  
"Where is it?" he asked.  
  
Soy pointed to the ground.  
  
For a second, Ryou didn't understand. Then realization hit. "You buried it?"  
  
Soy nodded. He was acting like that was strange. "Of course."  
  
"But why?"  
  
"Because it wouldn't shut up." she sniffed at the ground. "Why don't you make a fire while I dig it up?"  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Ryou sat by the fire, while Soy dug at the ground like a dog. He had gathered wood for a fire and Soy had lit it. now all he had to do was wait for Soy to be finished.  
  
He was so lost in thought he barely noticed when Soy tossed the ring at his feet. He shook himself out of his daze and picked it up. Soy settled back down onto her haunches and looked at him.  
  
"Are you happy now?" she said, as he examined the ring.  
  
Ryou didn't answer. He was too busy trying to reach his Yami through their mental link.  
  
[Yami, can you hear me?]  
  
There was a few seconds of silence, before his Yami materialized next to him.   
  
"Where have you been aibou?!" Bakura exclaimed. "you disappered!" he moved forward to give his hikari a hug, but stopped. He looked over to see Soy, who was still sitting on her haunches glaring at them, growling softly.  
  
"Soy, what's wrong?" Ryou asked, as she began to edge away from them.  
  
Soy looked from Bakura to Ryou. This was the first time she had ever encountered something like this.  
  
"You have another twin?" she said finally.  
  
Ryou blinked. "His not my twin." He quickly set about explaining his yami to her, and she calmed down a bit.  
  
Bakura scoffed at her. "So we're apart for a few days and you find a girlfriend?"  
  
Soy barked out a laugh as Ryou blushed and shook his head. "no, Soy was just helping me."  
  
[You're the only one for me, Yami.]  
  
Bakura smiled. [I know.]  
  
Soy shook her head. "You are all very creepy. I'm going to get us some food." She stood up and started to leave. "Try not to die Ryou." She hesitated. "You don't die either, ok Ryou number 2?" she jumped into the trees and disappeared.  
  
Ryou sighed as Bakura slipped his arms around his waist. It was comforting to have his yami back. He smiled and glanced back. "So do you have any idea what going on, Yami?"  
  
Bakura shook his head. "No idea. You probably know more than I do."  
  
Ryou sighed and looked at the fire. "I think the only one that understands anything is Soy."  
  
Bakura frowned. "There's something not right about her." He had a odd feeling from her every since she had found the millennium ring. And the fact she buried it didn't make him feel any better about her.  
  
"I'm fine. It's you guys that aren't right."  
  
The two looked up as Soy jumped down from the trees, carrying a small deer across her back. She set it down and wiped some blood from her hands. "You like deer I hope. It's very fresh."  
  
Ryou felt the blood drain from his face. He was not looking forward to eating.  
  
  
  
Please tell me what you think. ^.^ And sorry that I'm putting Ryou through so much. ,~.~, It hurts me too. I love Ryou. Please leave a review! 


	7. Soy joins the search

Ryou sighed as he felt his yami's arms slip around his waist. After eating Soy's dinner of fresh deer, which had surprisingly been pretty good, Ryou had decided to take another bath. Soy led him to a near by stream, complaining about how she didn't understand how he couldn't have gotten enough of the water before.  
  
Bakura had joined him of course, the two were just glad to be together again.  
  
"I'm glad your ok, aibou." Bakura whispered. Soy had filled him in on everything that had happened while they ate dinner.  
  
Ryou leaned his head back to kiss Bakura, but stopped. He frowned. "I feel like we're being watched."  
  
Bakura turned around, finding Soy sitting on the back, her bright green eyes shining with curiosity.   
  
Bakura growled and reached into the water and picked up a rock, hurling it at the curious girl. "PERVERT!"  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
"I wasn't spying on you." Soy growled, back at the campfire. "I was making sure that neither of you were drowning." She humped and turned her back on them. "Sorry for trying to help you."  
  
Ryou sighed. He believed her, but Bakura was pretty upset. Not so much that she had been there, but that she had ruined the time they had together. They hadn't gotten much time alone recently.  
  
Soy sighed. She had a feeling that this Bakura guy was a real over-reactor. She had been going to check on them, and what does she find? Wasn't her fault. All she wanted to do was keep Ryou safe. That was her job after all. She'd promised Keiko that she would take care of him, and she was a girl of her word.  
  
Soy stood up. "We'll leave tomorrow. It's getting too dark now. Get some sleep alright?" she jumped into a nearby tree and disappeared into the dark branches.  
  
Bakura sighed. "Are you sure we can trust her?"  
  
Ryou nodded and sat down on his yami's lap. "Yes. I'm sure. She did save me before you know."  
  
Bakura looked thoughtful. "I guess you're right."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Ryou yawned as the bright sun light pierced his eyes. It had been a long night, but he had still gotten some sleep. The woods were much too noisy. Too many things happening. Ryou was almost glad he would be back at Keiko's by the next night.  
  
He sat up and tried to pat his wild hair down. He looked around, finding his yami eating, even he didn't need to. Soy was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Morning yami." Ryou mumbled as he sat down beside him. Bakura nodded a greeting, since his mouth was full of deer meat. "Where's Soy?"  
  
Bakura jerked his head to the side. "In the tree. Fighting with a bird or something." He said, offering Ryou some meat. Ryou took the breakfast and eat nervously. Soy was fighting with someone? What could be happening?  
  
Soy glanced down at Ryou, then moved her eyes back toward her target, a small, trembling bird sitting on the branch in front of her. She wagged her tails happily. "Give me one reason not to eat you." She licked her lips and the bird stepped back fearfully.   
  
"Please Soy. Don't eat me!" the bird stammered. "I'm all bony!"  
  
"Then I'll drink your marrow."  
  
"Please! I'll do anything! I'll tell you where the nearest gateway stone is!"  
  
Soy blinked. "Hey. How did you know about that?"  
  
"I overheard Keiko the other day." The bird stammered. "If I tell you, will you promise not to eat me?"  
  
Soy considered. "Fine."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Ryou was finishing up his breakfast when Soy jumped down from the tree. She made her way over to Ryou and Bakura, and sat down next to them.  
  
"Are you two up from a little trip?" Soy asked, twitching her tails happily.  
  
Ryou nodded. "But to where?"  
  
Soy smiled. "To a nearby town. About a day or less away from here."  
  
Bakura narrowed his eyes at her. "Why?"  
  
"To get one of the gateway stones." Soy answered.  
  
Ryou blinked. "But I thought you said we weren't going to help us?"  
  
"Yeah well I changed my mind."  
  
Ryou smiled. There was more to the girl than first met the eye. She was a lot deeper than one would first expect. She was even starting to be a little nice.  
  
"We'll have to be careful though. There are a lot of dangerous things in these woods." Soy said, getting to her feet.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Ryou clutched Soy's shoulders. He had learned his lesson before that he shouldn't pull her hair when he was riding on her back. Bakura had disappeared back into the ring, and soy was taking them to the town where she said the gateway stone was.  
  
"So how many stones are there?" Ryou asked.  
  
Soy jumped into the trees and started to jump from branch to branch. "I believe there are thirteen. But to be honest I'm not completely sure."  
  
"Oh." Ryou relaxed a bit.   
  
Soy jumped back to the ground. "I'll make sure we get them all. No worries."  
  
Ryou lifted his head. "Why are you being so nice?"  
  
Soy didn't answer for a few moments. "What's wrong with that?"  
  
"Nothing." Ryou said. "I'm just saying."   
  
Soy focused on what was in front of her. She didn't feel like talking. Not now at least. Ryou was asking too many questions. And she didn't feel like answering.  
  
She sighed. As long as they didn't run into the body collectors, everything would be ok.  
  
  
  
Here you are. Pretty please tell me what you think. I value your opinions a lot. ^.^  
Peace, love, and cheese everyone. 


	8. Soy's Sacrafice

"Come on, Ryou. Lets get a move on."  
  
Ryou took a deep breath as he continued to trudge through the woods after Soy. She had grown tired of carrying him, commenting that she wasn't a taxi. And made him walk. Ryou had no real complaints about it, except that Soy kept complaining about how slow he was. She may have been used to traveling in the woods. But he sure wasn't.   
  
Soy looked back at him. He looked a little tired. Maybe they should stop for a while. It would take them longer to get the gateway stone, but they weren't in any rush really. None that's he knew of at least. Ryou might be in a rush, but she sure didn't know of anything.  
  
"You surviving back there, Ryou?" she asked, making sure that he wasn't going to have a heart attack. After all, humans were pretty frail. At least the ones that she had met were.  
  
"I'm fine, Soy." He answered. "But how much farther?"  
  
She looked around and sniffed the wind. "Not too long. How's your better half doing in that ring?"  
  
Ryou took a second to contact his Yami. "He's fine."  
  
"How come he never comes out?" Soy asked.  
  
Ryou started to answer, but was cut off by sudden movement from Soy. The half fox had spun around, throwing her scythe blade into the trees behind them. Ryou ducked away as Soy yanked on the chain, pulling the blade back.   
  
As she pulled the blade, something fell from the tress and hit the ground hard, dead. Ryou looked over at what Soy had pulled out. it was what appeared to be a woman, but she had no face. It was just a smooth, blank area where the face should have been. Soy's blade was embedded in its chest.  
  
Soy walked over and pulled the blade out. She licked the blood off as Ryou backed away from the dead body. "What is it?" he asked.  
  
Soy put her blade back. "It's a body collector."  
  
Ryou felt a small chill. "A body collector?"  
  
Soy nodded. "Ever heard of taxidermy?" She pocked the body. "That's what these sickos do. They stuff bodies and keep them like trophies or something."  
  
'Ryou, I don't like the sound of that. I'm coming out.'   
  
A few seconds later, the former tomb raider appeared. Soy barely cast a glance at him. She was too busy scanning the tress around them.   
  
"These guys always hunt in packs. So be on the lookout, you two." She placed a hand on her katana, preparing herself for trouble.  
  
Bakura narrowed his eyes at her. "If they are such a threat, we don't we leave?"  
  
Soy didn't answer.  
  
"Oh, all three of you look so alike. You will make perfect little trophies."  
  
Soy tensed and whirled around at the sound of the voice. she found herself face to face with another of the body collectors, this one appeared to be a male, but like the other, it had no face.  
  
"I'm very upset at what you did to my little sister." It said, and leaned closer to Soy. "I recognize you. Tsk tsk." He shook his head. "You of all people should know how painful it is to lose a family member."  
  
Soy twitched and glanced at Ryou. "I'll take care of this bastard, but stay on your guard."  
  
She narrowed her eyes as Ryou and Bakura both stepped back. The collector just laughed. "It's too bad your daddy cut Takna up so badly. Your brother would have made a splendid trophy."  
  
That did it. Soy growled and jumped forward, aiming her katana at the collector's chest. The beast managed to dodge, and threw something small and white at Soy. She stopped it in time and managed to dodge it, yelling back at Ryou.  
  
"Don't let that touch you!"  
  
For once, neither Ryou nor Bakura took the time to consider, they jumped out of the way, letting the small white object hit the tree behind them. As it hit, the tree was engulfed in white goo, and several slimy strands shot out to any near by objects.  
  
Ryou watched in shock as the slime began to constrict, squeezing the tree until water began to spill from the trunk. The tree began to wither, turning hard as a rock.  
  
Bakura narrowed his eyes. Soy and the collector were engaged in battle, Soy shifting between attacking and dodging the goo that was being thrown. The entire forest around them was starting to petrify.  
  
Soy jumped out of the way as another ball of goo was flung her way. She could keep dodging these things forever, but she was worried that Ryou would be hit. If he was, there wasn't a way she would be able to save him in time.   
  
She made another slash at the collector, but he had figured out her weakness. He stopped throwing at her, and aimed all of his goo at Ryou.  
  
Ryou ducked, knowing he would never get out of the way in time. Even Bakura couldn't do anything to help. So he dropped to the ground and shut his eyes.  
  
But the hit he expected never came. Slowly, he opened his eyes. To his surprise, Soy was standing in front of him. She had taken the blow for him.   
  
A gasp escaped him, as Bakura grabbed and pulled him away, taking him to where it would be safer, should the goo thread like it had been doing before. Soy spasmed, as the goo started to spread all over her. She managed to free a hand, and slashed the goo before it could cover her face. She gasped for air as the goo started to constrict and cut off her air.  
  
"Soy!" Ryou yelled, horrified at what was happened. He had never expected her to make such a sacrifice for him. He couldn't think, he just kept staring as Soy twitched and gasped for air.  
  
Bakura grabbed him by the arm, shaking him out of his daze. "Come on!" he yelled, trying to get Ryou to stand.   
  
But the silver haired teen just stared. He couldn't move couldn't think. Bakura grabbed him and shook him violently. "Ryou! We have to get out of here!"  
  
Slowly, Ryou turned his head to looked at his Yami. His dark eyes were glassy and looked to be a million miles away.   
  
"Ryou!"  
  
Ryou shook his head, clearing his daze. He knew they had to escape, but he didn't want to leave Soy. If she was going to die, he didn't want her to die alone. "No…we can't leave her." He whispered.  
  
Bakura growled and resisted slapping him to bring him to his senses. "We don't have a choice!"  
  
Ryou slowly shook his head, his eyes fixed on Soy, whose eyes were tearing up from the pain of being squeezed. She glanced at him, her eyes slowly blinking.   
  
"Ryou!"  
  
Finally, Bakura dragged him from the scene, pulling him through the dense woods and leaving Soy behind.  
  
  
Thanks for the reviews everyone! Please tell me what you thought of this chapter and sorry I haven't updated for a few days! 


	9. Transformation

'Get out of here, Ryou.'  
  
"So Soy, your name IS Soy, right?" the collector said, walking slowly up to the trapped girl. He smirked as Soy slowly opened her eyes. "You have quite a reputation among us."  
  
Soy didn't answer. She just stared, hoping Ryou and Bakura were going to get far enough away to be safe.  
  
"I can't believe I finally caught you." He said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Although, I wish I could have had your brother." He leaned closer. "Your brother was a beautiful man."  
  
Soy narrowed her green eyes, she could feel her anger rising. "I wouldn't celebrate catching me yet. You can see I'm not dead."  
  
"I struck a nerve didn't I?" the collector said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. You're beautiful too. But your BROTHER…"  
  
Soy growled. She didn't want to hear him talk anymore. "Stop talking about my brother!"  
  
"I'm sorry. I can see it still pains you that your dear twin is dead. So I'll let you have sometime for yourself." He turned toward where Ryou and Bakura had run. "So I'll go after those other two!"  
  
Soy growled as the collector jumped away, heading off toward the direction the others had escaped. She knew that they didn't stand a chance. The collector would catch them easily. He would kill them, and Soy would be helpless to stop him. Her anger began to rise again, filling her with a deep rage. She began to growl louder, and her normally green eyes turned a glowing red. Her long silver hair became longer and black, and her two tails suddenly split into nine black ones.  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Ryou glanced back, breathing hard, hoping to spot any sign of Soy. He knew he was in a life and death situation, but so was Soy. And it was all his fault. If it weren't for him, Soy would still be alive. He was convinced she was already gone.  
  
Bakura turned back to find Ryou lagging behind. "What's wrong with you!? Lets go!"  
  
Ryou looked at him, his brown eyes wide. "But Soy…"  
  
Bakura growled. "Forget her!" he grabbed his Hikari by his arm, dragging him along. "She isn't worth it!"  
  
He continued running, pulling Ryou along. He didn't understand why he would risk his own safety by thinking of Soy. She hadn't sacrificed herself to have Ryou stop his escape. And Bakura wasn't going to let Soy's death be in vain.  
  
Bakura suddenly stopped short, finding the ground drop off in front of them. "Fuck!" he yelled, realizing they had run right into a cliff. And the drop was too far for them to jump. They would have to back track and go another way.  
  
Ryou looked down over the edge of the cliff. He felt sick. It felt as he was shaking down to his soul.  
  
Bakura spun around, dragging Ryou with him. But he had barely gone two steps when something dropped down in front of them.   
  
The collector stared at them with its blank face. "Ahh, I've found you both. Good." It stepped forward as Bakura pushed Ryou behind him, trying to keep him safe. "I didn't want you both to get away. You're so beautiful."  
  
It stepped forward, causing Bakura and Ryou to step back. They were dangerously near the edge of the cliff, but they had nowhere else to run.  
  
The collector raised a hand and prepared to throw the white goo that had ensnared Soy and almost killed Ryou before. Bakura narrowed his eyes. He wasn't going to let Ryou get hit. He would follow Soy's example, and take the blow for him. He would be the victim, but at least Ryou would be safe a little longer.  
  
"How about we make a deal?" Bakura asked.  
  
The collector tilted his head. "What kind of deal?"  
  
"I'll let you take me as a trophy, if you leave him out of it." Bakura said, and Ryou gasped. He never expect everyone to be trying so hard to keep him safe.  
  
The collector seemed to be considering. "Well, ok. After all, I don't need two of the same trophy."  
  
"Yami…no." Ryou said, stunned and horrified. But Bakura looked back at him, a serious look on his face.  
  
"No one will care if I'm gone. But you have friends at home that will want you back." He looked back toward the collector. "Run away as soon as he throws the goo. Get out of here, find a way home."  
  
Ryou blinked at him. He couldn't believe it. "Yami…"  
  
Bakura smiled at him, but the smile was forced. 'I love you, aibou.' He turned back to the collector. "All right! Let's finish this!"  
  
The collector drew his hand back, ready to launch his deadly attack against the determined spirit. Bakura's face-hardened as he watched the collectors attack come at him. He wasn't thrilled with dying, but if it meant Ryou would be safe…   
  
Ryou watched in horror as the white substance flew toward his Yami. He couldn't believe what was happening.   
  
But the attack never reached Bakura. The goo was vaporized in mid air, by a beam of black light. Shock registered on everyone's faces, as they tried to realize what had happened. Bakura's eyes drifted up to the trees behind the collector, and he gasped.  
  
A figure with long black hair and glowing red eyes jump down from the tree and landed between the collector and Bakura. It stood with it's back to him, fixing its hard glare on the now terrified faceless creature.   
  
Ryou gasped when he realized the new arrival was Soy, but her hair and eyes were different. She had more tails now and she looked, mean.  
  
Soy narrowed her glowing eyes at the collector, who took a step back in horror. "How dare you." She growled.  
  
The collector was trembling. He had left Soy in the woods, trapped and near death, so how was she here?  
  
Soy raised her arms, black flames forming around them and her tails, which were arched up. She glared harder, her red eyes burning with fury. The collector tried to run, but Soy slashed at him, catching him with the black flames.   
  
The collector cried out as the attack connected, slicing him into several pieces. Soy growled at him, the entire ground shaking from the attack. Bakura and Ryou tried to shield themselves from the black light and the tremendous shaking of the ground. It felt like the whole world would shake apart.  
  
"Rotto o heru." She growled, as she slashed at him again, ready to finish him off.   
  
The collector cried out in pain again as the world around him erupted in black light. "But that's impossible! You can only take that form if you're protecting a f-…"  
  
His words were cut off as the black light expanded, silencing him forever. Slowly, the black light began to fade, and Ryou and Bakura uncovered their eyes.  
  
"Soy…how did you do that?" Ryou asked, stunned.  
  
Soy started to turn around, but when she faced them, she was back to normal. Her hair was silver again, and her eyes were no longer red and evil. She blinked at them. "How did I do what?"  
  
Ryou was stunned. She was normal again. "Your hair was a different color, and your eyes…"  
  
Soy looked confused. "I don't know what you're talking about. Are you sure you're ok, Ryou?"  
  
Bakura and Ryou were stunned.  
  
'She doesn't remember?'  
  
  
  
Whew. So Soy is ok. ^_^ Please review! 


	10. Tears of a Youki

"Oh whoa! I can't believe it!"  
  
Normally, Bakura would have told Ryou to calm down, but in fact, he was pretty amazed too. The small group of wanders had reached a clearing in the woods. It was a field of green grass, with a few red flowers. But that wasn't what made the clearing so amazing. The amazing part was the huge, colorfully lit Ferris wheel in the center of the field. There was nothing else around it, just the Ferris wheel standing alone.  
  
Soy smiled. It was cute they were both so excited about the Ferris wheel. After all, there wasn't anything too special about it. it was kind of unexpected to see a Ferris wheel out in the middle of no where, but than, that was how things worked in this world.  
  
Soy tilted her head to look at her two bright-eyed companions. "This is where the first stone should be."  
  
Ryou tore his eyes from the amazing site just long enough to look at her. "But I thought it was in a town."  
  
Soy giggled. "The town is underground. But lucky for us, the stone is up here."  
  
Bakura could practically feel the happiness radiating from his aibou. There was no doubt that Ryou was eager to get home. Bakura on the other hand, really wouldn't mind staying here. It wasn't that bad a place, as long as you steered clear of the troublemakers. But Ryou wanted to go home, so he would go too.  
  
Soy sighed, as she led the group into the field. "I can't believe it took us so long to get here. It'll be dark soon." She said, approaching the Ferris wheel. "We'll stay here tonight."  
  
Ryou was a little nervous about staying out in the open. They had had too many close calls. Too many near deaths. But Soy seemed to sense what he was feeling, and she smiled warmly.  
  
"Don't worry, Ryou." She said, trying to assuage his fears. "The lights from the Ferris wheel will keep most of the dangerous beings away."  
  
Ryou breathed a sighed of relief as Bakura looked to Soy. "So where is the stone?" he asked.  
  
Her green eyes drifted up the side of the bright Ferris wheel. The lights would change every few seconds, creating pretty pictures, but it was sometimes distracting. "It's up there." She pointed at the top of the Ferris wheel.  
  
Bakura groaned. "How are we going to get it down?"  
  
Soy smiled. There wasn't a way to ride in the cars of the Ferris wheel, but that didn't mean that was the only way to get up there. She hopped forward and grabbed the side of the Ferris wheel, letting it take her up as she stood on a metal beam.  
  
Ryou watched with joy in his eyes. He wished he could ride it, but he was too afraid he would loss his grip and fall. The Ferris wheel was huge, and falling from it would surely mean death. He just hoped Soy wouldn't fall.  
  
Bakura seemed to sense some disappointment in Ryou's eyes, so he leaned over and gave him a short kiss on the neck. "Don't worry, when we get back, I'll take you on a Ferris wheel."  
  
Soy looked down at her two new friends from high atop the Ferris wheel. The view was amazing, she could actually see all the way back toward the village. Her eyesight was far better than that of any other creature, so seeing at such huge distances was simple. The wind was stronger high in the hair, so Soy raised an arm to keep her silver hair out her face.   
  
It was such a pretty place to be, the sun was going down, birds were settling themselves in for the night… even Ryou and Bakura seemed to be enjoying the twilight. Soy giggled when she saw the two embrace. They had obviously forgotten that she could see them. They were so cute in her eyes. The way Bakura acted so tough, yet deep down, you could see he was a total marshmallow for Ryou.   
  
She clasped her hands joyfully, squeezing her eyes shut. "They are so kawii!"  
  
Bakura ran his hand gently over Ryou's face. He was grateful for some time alone with him. "I thought I was going to lose you." He murmured softly.   
  
Ryou sighed blissfully. He thought he was going to lose his Yami too. He no doubt in his mind now that his Yami really did care about him. He had even been willing to sacrifice his life for him.  
  
"Yami?" he asked softly, burying his face into Bakura's chest.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Promise you won't go anywhere?"  
  
Bakura smiled. "Of course I won't aibou."  
  
Soy smiled gleefully as she watched the two express their feelings for one another on the ground below. It was so great to see that some people could still find love. With a little sigh, she reached out and plucked the Gateway stone from its resting place atop the Ferris wheel. She clutched the small white stone as her eyes drifted back toward the two silver haired lovers below.  
  
As the Ferris wheel brought her back down to the ground, she was struck with an idea. Stuffing the stone inside her kimono for safe keeping, she balanced on the beam and reached her hands out as the Ferris wheel brought her down toward Ryou and Bakura.  
  
As she passed them, she grabbed onto their hands, pulling them up to the Ferris wheel. As they were brought higher and higher, Ryou clutched on to Bakura for dear life, while Bakura held fast to another metal beam.  
  
Soy smiled happily as the two exclaimed happily over the view they received as they reached the top. The three wanders stood, their silver hair blowing in their faces, watching as the sun slowly set below the horizon. Soy glanced down to find Bakura's hand snake around Ryou's slender waist. She grinned happily, and resisted the urge to say kawii.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"So Soy, what was that body collector saying about a brother of yours or something?" Ryou asked, picking at his dinner.  
  
The group was assembled around a small campfire Soy had built, preparing to stay the night. Darkness had fallen fast, and Soy had quickly retrieved something for them to eat. Now they were resting, Soy sitting on her haunches across the fire from Bakura and Ryou, who were sitting with their arms around each other, though they thought that Soy couldn't tell.  
  
Soy sighed and got a faraway look in her eyes. "I had a brother. A twin brother actually."  
  
Ryou leaned forward, interested.  
  
"He was the older one. Exactly 12 hours older than I." She got a sadly look across her pale face. "We were never together much though. My mother was a pure human, and my father was a pure yokai. When we were born, my brother was pure human like my mother, and I was pure yokai like my father. So my brother was taken to live in the human world."  
  
There was a moment of silence before Bakura gently urged her to continue. "What happened to him?"  
  
Soy looked down into the flame before her. "He died. A long time ago."  
  
Ryou drew in a breath. "Oh. Soy, I'm sorry."  
  
She waved her hand dismissively. "Don't be."  
  
"He died a long time ago."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
Soy stood in the middle of the field, the huge Ferris wheel standing between her and where Ryou and Bakura peacefully slept. She couldn't sleep. Not tonight. Carefully, she picked one of the bright red flowers from the ground. She held it up, the wind tossing her hair, and making her feel even sadder than before.  
  
She closed her hand around the flower, transforming the petals into millions of red feathers. The wind caught the feathers, and sent them swirling across the field, like red snow. Carefully, she reached out and plucked one from the air, closing her hand around it.  
  
When Soy opened her hand again, the feather had turned black, and was shining with a beautiful light. She held it in her hand for a few seconds, before releasing it, whispering, "Find my brother."  
  
She brought up her arm to push her hair away as the feather floated off into the night. Her sad green eyes watched it, until the darkness ate it up.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
It was dawn when Soy returned to where Ryou and Bakura had been sleeping. How many hours had she stayed there, talking out loud to the spirit of Takna, her dead brother? How she missed him.   
  
Bakura was already up, poking at the dying fire, while Ryou slept peacefully on the ground. He lifted his head when he saw her, greeting her.  
  
"Morning Soy." He said, poking at the fire once again.  
  
"Hey Bakura." She said. "Is Ryou still sleeping?"  
  
Bakura motioned to where the boy still slept, and Soy walked over. She was about to shake him gently to wake him up, when she stopped dead in her tracks.  
  
A black feather rested ever so gently on his nose.  
  
Her eyes began to fill with tears as she saw the feather. she took a few steps back, absolutely stunned by the sight. Deep pain began to well up inside of her, as she shook her head violently, whispering. "No…It's not right!"  
  
Bakura noticed her odd behavior, and frowned at her. "Soy, what's wrong?"  
  
Soy shut her eyes and shook her head violently. "It's wrong! It's not true!"  
  
Feeling despair overcome her, she ran off, heading into the woods and leaving them behind. She tore through the woods; her mind a blur, her heart feeling like it was going to break into two. She didn't stop running until she reached a small pond in the middle on the woods. She ran into the water, falling to her hands and knees as tears began to fall from his green eyes.  
  
"It can't be true…"  
  
  
  
O_O So? What do YOU think is going on? ^_^ Leave a review. 


	11. Like the roses steal the sun

Yes, yes. Many of you caught on to Ryou being Soy's brother. ^_^ But many questions are still unanswered. Like…how can he be her brother when Ryou has a father? (Someone brought that up in a review, don't remember who) And, Soy said her brother was dead, right? But Ryou is very clearly alive. So what's the deal? ^_^ I know what it is.  
  
  
  
  
Soy stayed in the water for a long time, her mind racing as her tears fell into the still water. She shut her eyes, unwilling to accept the truth.  
  
"Soy."  
  
Soy turned her head at the sound of the voice, trying to hide her tears. She didn't want to face anyone right then. Bakura was standing at the edge of the pond, having followed her into the woods. He had a slightly worried look on his face, which seemed un natural for him.  
  
"What's the deal, Soy?" he asked. He wasn't used to seeing the yokai like this, it was disturbing.  
  
Soy stood up, water dripping from the end of her hair, and off of her clothing. "Nothing Bakura. But listen. I have to go somewhere. You and Ryou stay at the camp, I'll be back within a day."  
  
Bakura frowned. She was leaving? "Where are you going?"  
  
Soy shut her eyes and forced a small smile. "I just have some business to take care of. Watch Ryou while I'm gone."  
  
As she started to leave, Bakura began to ponder that last comment. Something about it just didn't seem right. But he let her go, not bothering to try and stop her from leaving. Soy stopped, and turned around.  
  
"And Bakura," she said. "Don't tell Ryou any of this."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
Bakura arrived back at camp, to find Ryou awake, and eating some breakfast. The spirit was still a little confused. Nothing seemed to be making any sense. But the sight of his Hikari was a welcoming one, and it calmed him a little.  
  
The silver haired boy raised his head as Bakura approached, looking at him with bright brown eyes. "Hey, Yami, where did you go? And where's Soy?"  
  
Bakura hesitated. He wasn't sure what to tell Ryou. He couldn't tell him about Soy's little breakdown, nor could he tell her that she had disappeared, and may not come back. "Soy went to get the next stone. She told us to wait here. She'll be back soon." He lied.  
  
Ryou nodded, accepting the excuse, and went back to his food.  
  
Bakura felt a sharp pain in his heart. He didn't want to lie to Ryou, but what choice did he have? He was trying to protect his Hikari, but from what, he didn't know. There was just something that told him he would be better off if Ryou never knew.  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Soy stepped into the water for the second time that day. But this time, she wasn't stepping into a pond, but a stream that surrounded a small shrine. The water came up to her knees, as she focused on the shrine in front of her. It had been a long time since she had been here, and the spot caused her pain.  
  
Losing some of her courage, she took a step back, causing dirt from the bottom of the stream to stir us where she had stepped. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves, before crossing the stream, and entering the small shrine.  
  
The inside was dark, lit only by a few torches. Soy stepped into the shrine, heading toward the main monument. She felt a few tears rise in her green eyes, as she looked at the constant flame in memory of Soy's long dead brother. She stepped up to it, falling to her knees, praying to his long departed soul.  
  
* Flash back *  
  
Soy watched in horror, her long black hair blowing into her eyes as she stood at the edge of the high cliff. In front of her, at the edge of the cliff, stood a tall man, holding a boy with long silver hair, a sword at his throat.  
  
"Father! Let him go!" Soy yelled, feeling fear and anger surge up within her.   
  
The man smirked. "Be quiet Soy. You went against my wishes and brought him here. Now allow me to send him away!" with those words, he brought the sword across the boys throat, blood spilling from the wound.  
  
"Takna!" Soy yelled, horrified.   
  
The silver haired boy's face went blank as life slowly drifted away from him. In one quick movement, the man threw the now lifeless boy from the cliff. As his body fell to the ground, the man threw his sword, slicing the body into several pieces.  
  
As the bloody body fell to the ground, the man smirked. "You see, daughter? Humans are much too frail. They are pathe-"  
  
His words were cut off as a clawed fist punched through his chest, coming through from the back. Soy's eyes glowed brighter red, as she withdrew her hand, letting her father collapse, and fall from the edge as well.  
  
Soy watched, no expression on her face, just a blank, cold red stare.  
  
·End flashback *  
  
Soy slowly opened her eyes. "I lost my entire family that day." She whispered. Slowly she stood, removing something from the alter. She held it in her hands, a chain of flat white stones "I miss you brother."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
Ryou yawned. Soy had been gone a long time. He hoped she hadn't gotten into any trouble. She could take care of herself, but still. He worried.  
  
His mind drifted back to when Soy had saved them before. Her hair and eyes had been different, and she seemed much more powerful, but how? And why didn't she remember the transformation? In was a puzzling question. And what had the body collector said? About the transformation being impossible?  
  
Ryou was sure the body collector had been saying something about, but Soy had killed him before he could finish. What was he going to say? Had she killed him just because she had to? Or because he was going to say something that Soy wanted to keep a secret?  
  
The silver haired boy sat up, a confused expression on his face, remembering what the body collector had said.  
  
'You can only make that transformation if you're protecting a f-'  
  
Ryou looked up to the sky. "If she's protecting a what?"  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
Soy stood atop the shrine, holding the chain of stones in her hand. A cold wind was blowing, reminding her of the day when she had lost her human brother. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to throw the chain, but suddenly stopped.  
  
She blinked, a few tears falling from her eyes. If she threw the chain, the chances of finding it again were slim to none. She looked down at the chain.  
  
"No. They just want to go home." She clutched the chain, tears falling from her green eyes. "And I have no right to make them stay here." She closed her eyes.  
  
Her silver hair blew across her face, as she put the chain into her kimono for safekeeping. She raised her eyes to the sky, watching as the sun slowly set. A few petals from the flowers of nearby trees drifted past her, adding a little color to the dark, broken soul of the yokai.  
  
  
  
A lot of this chapter focused on Soy at her brother's shrine, but come next chapter, she'll be back with Ryou and Bakura. And she'll explain to Bakura everything. So stay tuned! And review! Pretty please? * Puppy dog eyes * 


	12. It only means heartbreak for me

Ryou looked up and smiled when he heard Soy approaching. She had been gone for nearly a day, and Ryou had been a little worried about where she was.  
  
"Hi Soy." He said. Sot smiled and sat down next to him.   
  
"Hey. So how is everything? You and Bakura been ok?" she asked. Looking back, realized that it wasn't too smart of her to leave them alone. Even if they were safe by the Ferris wheel.  
  
Ryou nodded. They didn't have any problems at all. In fact, Soy's absence had given them some time alone. "We've been fine."  
  
"Is Bakura in the ring?"  
  
Ryou shook his head. "No, he's taking a bath at the stream."  
  
Soy raised an eyebrow. "And why aren't you there with him?" she said, implying what she already knew. Ryou blushed.  
  
"We didn't want you to be scared if you came back and no one was here."  
  
Soy smiled and stood up, "I'm going to go check on him. You'll be ok?"  
  
When Ryou nodded, Soy headed back into the woods, sniffing the ground to find the spirit of the ring. It didn't take her long to find him; he was taking a bath in a small stream not too far from where they had made camp.  
  
Soy sat down on the bank of the stream, knowing he wouldn't get the wrong idea from her being there. After all, he and Ryou were together, and besides, Soy was, in a matter of speaking, his sister.  
  
It didn't take long for Bakura to realize she was there. He turned around, still in the water, and looked at her. "And?"  
  
Soy didn't answer right away. "If I told you something, would you promise not to tell Ryou?"  
  
Bakura was quiet for a second. He wasn't sure he wanted to keep anything from Ryou, but then, maybe it was important. Maybe Soy had a good reason for not telling Ryou. Or maybe she didn't.  
  
"If it's going to hurt Ryou, than no." he said.  
  
Soy shook her head. "It won't. Please?"  
  
Bakura nodded. After all, what was the worst that could happen? If he felt it was important that Ryou knew, he would just break his promise to Soy.  
  
Soy took a deep breath, trying to get the nerve up to tell him. This wasn't a very easy topic to discuss after all. She sighed. "Bakura…Ryou and I…"  
  
For a spilt second, Bakura had a horrible feeling about what she was going to say. Those words did not sound good. "You're what?"  
  
Soy closed her eyes. "Bakura, Ryou is my brother."  
  
Everything seemed to go silent as Bakura tried to grasp what Soy was saying. It didn't make any sense. Ryou didn't have any brothers or sisters. He wasn't even from this world. And besides, Soy's brother was dead, she had said that herself.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked at last.  
  
"It's…basically just that. He's my brother." She said quietly, playing with some grass near her feet.  
  
Anger over took Bakura. How dare she play a trick like this? What right did she have to go around and pretend it was true? He was furious. What was her problem?  
  
"You're a liar!" he growled, letting his anger be known. He was in no mood to be nice to her.  
  
"Bakura…"  
  
Bakura wasn't finished. "Don't you ever say that to Ryou. Or I'll kill you, understand?"  
  
"BAKURA!" Soy yelled catching his attention. "I'm not joking around!"  
  
Bakura narrowed his eyes. "Your brother is dead." He said flatly, not caring if it hurt her or not. "So Ryou can't be your brother."  
  
Ryou is by brother reborn." Soy said, narrowing her green eyes. "Don't you understand? Reincarnation!"  
  
Bakura shook his head, water flying off of his silver hair. "Prove it."  
  
"Well beside the obvious resemblance Ryou bears to my brother," she said, "there is also the fact that I transformed when I saved you both before."  
  
That got Bakura's attention. "What?"  
  
"When my hair turned black and my eyes changed color, that only happens if I am protecting a family member." She explained.  
  
"I thought you didn't remember the transformation."  
  
Soy shook her head. "Of course I remembered." She said. "I just didn't want to even try and explain it."  
  
Bakura had to admit it was a pretty good reason, but he still didn't want to believe her. "What else?"  
  
She fiddled with her long hair, looking thoughtful. "Do you remember this morning? When I ran off?"  
  
Bakura nodded. Of course he did. He had been a little worried too. "Yes."  
  
"I ran away because he had a black feather on his nose." She said. "A black feather that I sent out to find my brother."  
  
Silence fell once again, as everything slowly sunk in, and started to make sense to Bakura. It was so hard to believe, but then again, some how, he wanted to believe it. He and Ryou were like two sides of the same coin. Two parts of the same person, so if Ryou and Soy were blood relatives…so was he.   
  
He had never really had a family before. In Egypt, his parents had died when he was very young, and he never could remember much about them, so having a sister was appealing to him. He looked at Soy. He could see complete honesty in her green eyes.  
  
"So it's true?" he said, very quietly, and Soy lifted her head.   
  
"Yes." She replied.  
  
Bakura started to come out of the water, and Soy handed him his clothes. "You're my sister then."  
  
She smiled. "At least half sister."  
  
He finished getting dressed. "Why don't you want Ryou to know? If he knows, maybe he'll want to stay here with you."  
  
Soy shook her head. "If he stays, think of all the people who will miss him back home. And I don't want to burden him with this."  
  
Bakura frowned. "But if he leaves…"  
  
"It will only mean heart break for me."  
  
  
  
Whelps. There we are. Kind of short, kind of sad, but it had to be done. So know Bakura knows, but neither Soy nor Bakura want to tell Ryou. How sad. Please tell me what you thought, ok? 


	13. Father and Daughter

A/N: If anyone out there draws fan art and would like to help me by drawing a scene or anything for this story, I would love it! ^-^ I'm not a good artist, but I know a lot of you are! So if you feel like it, I'd love to see them. SilverFoxYouki@hotmail.com  
  
  
  
Bakura walked slowly behind Soy. After all she had told him, it was hard to go back and face Ryou. It was such a tremendous secret he was keeping. He felt awful about lying. But then, it might hurt him more if he knew.  
  
"Where are we going, Soy?" Ryou asked, speaking up for the first time in a while.   
  
Soy glanced back. "We're heading back to the village."  
  
Ryou heart dropped. They weren't going to be looking for the gateway stones anymore? How was he going to get home? This world was nice, but he missed his friends, and his family.  
  
Bakura smiled and wrapped an arm around Ryou's slender waist. "Don't worry, we'll get home." He said, but his heart wasn't in those words. Something about breaking up a family…even if they didn't know it existed…it didn't sit right with him.  
  
Soy looked up into the trees, she had a bad feeling. Something just wasn't right. She sighed. Maybe she was just upset. When they got back to the village, she could send Ryou home. She had the other stones, thanks to her brother.   
  
There wasn't anything keeping them there anymore. A sinking feeling rose in the pit of her stomach. She was going to lose her brother again.  
  
'I wish I had never known.'  
  
Ryou kept pace with Soy. She didn't want to carry him anymore, and that was ok. Except for the difficulty he had walking in the woods. Getting back to civilization would be very welcome to him.  
  
Without warning, Soy stopped. Causing Ryou, who had been lost in thought, to bump into her.  
  
"Huh? Soy? What's wrong?" he asked. Soy was staring in front of them, her green eyes big. Bakura sensed something was wrong, and moved so Ryou would be behind him.  
  
"Soy?" he asked. Something was definitely not right.  
  
"Father…" Soy whispered. Her eyes narrowed. "Father!"  
  
Ryou was confused. Her father was nearby? The tone of her voice sounded angry, as if it were laced with hate. Her eyes were shining with the kind of rage you just don't see from a loving daughter.  
  
"Soy-chan." A voice said. "How happy I am to see you."  
  
Soy growled and motioned for Bakura and Ryou to stay back. Bakura took the hint and stepped back several feet as a tall man stepped out of the brush. He smiled at Soy, who just growled back.  
  
"Daughter. I am…happy…to see you are alive." He said, in a deadpan voice.  
  
Soy growled. "Like hell you are! What do you want!?"  
  
Ryou gasped. That was her father? He could see the resemblance, but she seemed to hate him so much. How could some one hate her own father like that? His eyes drooped in sadness. No wonder Soy seemed so alone. She didn't even have a family.  
  
"I heard that someone took the stones from your brothers tomb." Her father said, circling around her. "You it have been you?"  
  
Soy growled, placing a hand on her katana. "It's none of your business!"  
  
"Hm." His eyes scanned Soy, before moving to Ryou and Bakura. "So these must be your pets." He said with a slight chuckle.   
  
Bakura narrowed his eyes. "Watch who your calling a pet."  
  
Soy's father ignored him. "I heard you had been running around with a couple of human dogs. They must be them." He said, narrowing his eyes at them.  
  
Ryou shrunk back, his gaze was so cold. It felt like his entire soul had been frozen.  
  
"So you took the stones to send your pets home." He said, walking away from Soy. "What a pity. The small one looks almost like your brother."  
  
With a low growl of fury at his words, Soy drew her katana. She rushed at her father, trying to stab the cold metal through him. But the older man was too quick, he managed to grab the blade, and hold it just inches from his stomach.  
  
Soy twitched as she struggled to over power him. He would pay for what he said about Ryou and Bakura. Her father smiled and leaned closer.   
  
"Maybe that is your brother, reborn." He smirked. "If so, I will have the pleasure of killing him once again."  
  
"Don't you touch them!" she yelled, furious. She let go of her katana with one hand, to get a hold of her scythe blade. With a quick movement, that was much to her father's surprise, she slashed him. Opening a large wound on his stomach.  
  
He stepped back, growling and clutching his wound. "You bitch!"  
  
Soy turned to Ryou and Bakura, her eyes full of panic. "You guys! Get out of here!"  
  
As the two boys ran, her father took advantage of her distraction, plunging a long blade into her back.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Ryou gasped for air as he tore through the woods, trying to get away. He couldn't believe he was leaving Soy in another life or death situation. It was just like before, only this time, she might not some back.   
  
They had run back the way they came, so Ryou knew they would reach the Ferris wheel soon. He only hoped he would make it that far. He had no way of knowing whether they were being chased. Everything was a mess of noise and confusion.  
Bakura looked back, making sure Ryou was still behind him. He couldn't let him fall behind. It was too dangerous.   
  
He slowed down as he thought about Soy. They had left her once again. And who knew what was going to happen. His eyes got wide when he thought about what would happen if she died. That couldn't happen.  
  
"Ryou! Head for the Ferris wheel! I have to help Soy!" he yelled, running back before the other boy had a chance to respond.  
  
  
  
  
This chapter wasn't so great. -_-; And Soy's having her second brush with death. I wanted to get a new one out though. Please review guys. ^-^ 


	14. Blood

Next chapter up! And we are nearing the end. T_T it's so sad. I really am enjoying writing this.   
  
  
  
Bakura ran back as fast as he could, trying to find Soy in the dense forest. He had taken Ryou's bow before he left, but he wasn't confident that he would be able to use it. He hadn't used a bow in…thousands of years.  
  
He pushed through the underbrush, hoping that Ryou would be safe at the Ferris wheel. If his Hikari had any sense, he would do as Bakura told him.  
  
Soy winced as she pulled the long blade from her back. It was a bad wound, but she would live. At least long enough to kill that bastard she called a father. He had killed her brother once; she would not let it happen again.  
  
Growling, she flung the blade back at her father, missing him by only a few inches and embedding the blade in a near by tree. Her father grinned.   
  
"At least you are strong!" he said, ripping a nearby tree out of the ground, and swinging it at her. Soy didn't have enough time to dodge, and was thrown back. She winced, drawing her katana.  
  
"I'm a lot stronger than you are, Father." She said, smearing some of the blood from her wound on her blade. Getting to her feet, she charged at him. But she wasn't quick enough to hit. He dodged out of the way, cutting deep gashes in her face with his claws.  
  
Touching the blood, Soy gasped for air. He was a lot more powerful than he was before. This would be hard. She climbed to her feet, dodging as her father sent a small fireball in direction. She swung the blade, letting the blood at coated it spray off.   
  
The blood became sharp as a knife while in the air, and her father was forced to bring up his arm to block. The blood hit him, tearing several bloody gashes.  
  
He growled, throwing a large fireball at Soy. Soy dodged, and landed on the ground. Before she could react, her father was right in front of her, digging his sword into her stomach. She collapsed, holding her wound, in intense pain.  
  
Her father laughed. "It's a pity I have to kill you, but of well." He raised the sword, ready to bring it down on her unprotected neck.  
  
THUNK!  
  
Soy's father jumped back as something embedded itself into his side. He growled, pulling out an arrow. Looking for his attacker, he spotted the silver haired Yami, getting ready to shoot again.  
  
"Bastard." He growled, walking toward him. Soy growled, seeing her friend in danger, her hair began to turn black.  
  
Bakura aimed the arrow, ready to fire again if necessary. The older man came closer, an angry scowl on his face.  
  
"I'll kill you for that!" he said, rising a claw. Bakura fired, but the arrow missed it's target. He grimaced, hoping that his death would be quick at least.  
  
Soy growled, aiming her claws for her father's neck, ready to finish the fight once and for all. She swung her claws, hitting him square in the neck. Her claws cut through his flesh like a hot knife through butter, removing his head from the rest of his body.  
  
Bakura sighed in relief when he realized the man was dead, but his relief didn't last long. the blood spilling for the wound was beginning to eat away the ground. It was like an acid, and began to dissolve anything it touched.  
  
Soy grabbed Bakura's arm. "Come on!" she yelled, pulling him away from the disappearing ground. He ran after her, trying to keep away from the blood.  
  
"Soy! What is this?" He yelled.   
  
Soy glanced behind him. "It's like acid. You'll be killed if you touch it!" she yelled. Suddenly, she looked at him, her red eyes full of fear. "Where's Ryou?!" she cried, as trees began to fall all around them.  
  
Bakura dodged as a large tree collapsed near him, it's roots no longer able to hold onto the disappearing ground. "He's at the Ferris wheel." He said, gasping for air.  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Ryou sat on the ground, bathed in the light of the Ferris wheel. He was worried about Soy and Bakura. He hoped they would be able to survive. He didn't want to loose Bakura. He couldn't.   
  
He lifted his head as he noticed something strange happening in the woods. It looked like the trees were all falling down. The noise was horrible, and he took a few steps back, afraid. Fear crawled up his spine, as he wished for Bakura to be there.  
  
"Yami!" he called, taking a few more steps back. "Yami!" he knew his Yami couldn't hear him, but he was hoping.  
  
Without warning, Soy and Bakura came charging out of the woods, only seconds ahead of the collapsing ground.  
  
"Ryou!" Bakura yelled. "Run to the Ferris wheel!"  
  
Ryou froze. He was terrified now, but he followed his Yami's orders. He turned, and ran as fast as he could.  
  
"Climb!" Soy yelled, as Ryou reached the brightly light wheel. She and Bakura caught up quickly, pushing Ryou up. The three began to climb, getting as far away from the ground as possible.  
  
Ryou struggled to pull himself up. It was no easy task to get up. he reached for the next crossbeam, but his hand slipped. He began to fall to the ground below.  
  
Soy reached out and grabbed his wrist, helping him before he could fall any farther. "This is far enough!" she yelled. "The Ferris wheel will be safe."  
  
The three friends waited hung on the side of the Ferris wheel, watching the ground smoke below them. It was an amazing sight, the ground black and smoking for miles. Soy blinked. She hadn't seen so much destruction in a long time.  
  
Bakura wrapped his hands around Ryou's slender waist, glad to see he was safe. Ryou buried his face in his chest, finally feeling safe.  
  
Something cold and wet touched Soy's nose, causing her to look up. Several white flakes were floating down through the air. Snow.  
  
The snow fell softly, slowing turning the charred ground white, as the Ferris wheel made mosaics on color on the desolate ground. 


	15. My will

Well, this is it. The last chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this, because I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for all the reviews and support! Please leave comments about what you thought.  
  
  
  
Ryou sighed and rolled over. They had finally gotten back to the village, after a long and very tiring journey. He was glad to be back, where he was safe. And he knew that he would be going home soon, by the next day, since Soy had gotten the other gateway stones, but he was a little sad.  
  
Despite all the danger they had faced, and all the close calls they had had with death, he still felt oddly attached to the strange world. It was like he had been there before, even though that was impossible. He snuggled a little closer to the fire, wishing his Yami hadn't returned to his soul room.  
  
It would be the last night he would be here. In less than 24 hours, he would be home. In his own bed.  
  
Outside, Soy stood at the edge of the destroyed forest. The destruction had reached all the way to the village, but luckily, no one had gotten hurt. It was some comfort at least that her father hadn't taken any more lives. And she was lucky that Ryou was still clueless about their blood relation. Bakura had managed to confirm that before, by asking Ryou some careful questions.  
  
It was going to hard for her, knowing that her brother was in another world. When he was dead, she could at least go to his shrine, and know he was at peace. Now though, she would have no idea. What happened to her brother in his own world would be unknown to her.  
  
She would miss a lot of important events in his life. All the milestones that he would experience in his life would be lost to her. She had considered going back with them, but she knew too well, that she didn't belong in his world.   
  
She cradled a small cherry blossom in her hands. She was going to re-grow the forest, and make it even nicer than before. She owed the village at least that much.   
  
Placing the flower on the ground, she concentrated. The small blossom began to spread out, taking roots and growing into full trees. The small sapling became larger, growing bright green leaves and beautiful pink flowers. The breeze blew, tossing some petals into the air, as she finished her work. The forest was back, and much nicer. All green and pink, with a snow of petals.  
  
"Soy."  
  
The fox turned slowly, to find Bakura standing behind her. She blinked, remembering that Ryou had told her that he had returned to his soul room.  
  
The spirit walked up to her, handing her something. She took it, and looked it over thoughtfully. It was a flat square, maybe 3 inches big that opened on a hinge.  
  
Bakura watched her. "Open it up." he instructed.  
  
Soy did as he asked, and opened the locket up. Inside, there was a small picture of Ryou and Bakura, standing side by side. The picture looked like it had been taken in Ryou's world. The other side of the locket contained a mirror, which reflected Soy's image.  
  
"I'm sure Ryou would want you to have that if he knew." Bakura said.   
  
Soy looked at it sadly. She would at least have something to remember them by. "Thanks." She said softly, closing the locket and looked back out towards the woods.  
  
"You fixed the forest." Bakura said, trying to ease the uncomfortable silence.  
  
Soy nodded. "I did." she sighed as her hair flew in front of her face, pushed by the breeze. "My hair won't change back, and neither will my tails."  
  
Bakura nodded. He had noticed that before. "Why?"  
  
"I don't know, really." She answered. "It doesn't matter though, I guess."  
  
"You look less like Ryou now." Bakura added. It was true; they didn't look as similar anymore.  
  
Soy glanced up at the sky. "Yeah." She turned toward Bakura. "You can tell him if you want. It's up to you."  
  
The spirit considered. Knowing that Soy was his sister could really destroy Ryou. It would make him feel guilty and empty. He might not even to be able to enjoy his life back home as much, knowing where she was.  
  
"No." he said. "Ignorance is bliss."  
  
Soy laughed softly. "That's very true." She said. "Ignorance is bliss."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Ryou stood at the edge of the fire the villagers had prepared. Keiko had surrounded the fire with the gateway stones, and cast a chant, opening the gateway between the worlds. Ryou was a little nervous about walking into the fire, but he was assured that it would get him safely home.  
  
He looked around, noticing the crowd that had gathered, but he didn't see one face he had expected to.   
  
"Where's Soy?" he asked. Bakura, who was standing beside him, shrugged.  
  
One of villagers spoke up. "She left the village last night."  
  
Ryou looked around at the faces in the crowd. "I can't go until I say goodbye."  
  
Keiko shook her head. "There's no time, you must leave soon."  
  
"But I can't go! I have to say goodbye!" Ryou exclaimed. He didn't want to leave until he could thank her. She had done so much for them. Tears began to well up in eyes. He didn't want to leave yet.  
  
Bakura placed a hand on his Hikari's shoulder. "We have to leave. We can't wait."  
  
Ryou looked into the woods, hoping to see Soy coming through the tress, but there was no sign of the fox. He sighed sadly. He knew he had to leave, and he had to leave now. With a sigh, he silently said goodbye to his helping hand.  
  
Turning back to the fire, he took a deep breath, and stepped into the waiting flames.  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
From atop the high Ferris wheel, Soy could feel Ryou and Bakura's presence disappear. They had gone back to their own world, and they had gotten there safely.  
  
The breeze blew her long hair into her face, mixing it with the airborne petals of her forest. Her world had never felt so big or so alone before.  
  
She had wanted to say goodbye, but knew it would be too painful. So she had left, putting the past behind her and swallowing the pain. Adding it to decades of sorrow that had already built up inside her. Her life had never been a happy one, but she had to keep going. She couldn't stop.   
  
Ryou would be ok. He was home now. Where he belonged. She had always been part of a different world than he, and she realized it now more than ever.  
  
But her brother was happy and at peace. He had people who cared about him, and a very possessive spirit that loved him. Bakura would protect him. She didn't need to worry.  
  
Ryou may never know the truth, but as long as he was happy, she was ok. She took the locket out and looked at it. She might never see him again, but she would remember.  
  
She smiled; letting the breeze carry the pink flowers off toward the village.  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Bakura sighed. They were finally home. They had appeared back in there own world, safe and sound. Ryou had gone downstairs to see his father right away, but Bakura remained in his room.   
  
He would never tell Ryou. Ever. He would take the secret with him forever, no matter what the cost.   
  
Something small and pink suddenly caught the spirit's eye. Reaching out, he picked the object of the air.   
  
It was a petal. Much like the ones from the trees Soy had grown. He smiled, staring down at the last thing he had to remember by. 


End file.
